The Grisly Murders Of Jack The Ripper

- Well, we have done it. We're in Ripper City now. - Rip city. - This is what the people wanted. Today we are going to hunt a

ripper

. - We're going to handcuff them. - More than 100 years have passed. Who better to solve it than the kids? - I mean, if we don't, I will hang my head in shame and never return to the United States. - We can't go back to the United States. Well, here we go. - Have any of you seen a

ripper

? - This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved, in our season premiere, we investigate Jack the Ripper.

He perhaps the most infamous serial killer of all time. Hundreds of suspects have been named in this case and it has baffled investigators and rippers alike for more than 100 years. - But that won't faze the boys. - Yes and we are ripperologists. - We are invincible. - That's not a word. - I think it's a word. - I've done a lot of research on this one. I am very, very satisfied with the case I am about to present. I think I have done it. - Do you think this is your white whale? - I didn't solve it, but I did a good job. - Okay, well, you have me very excited. - The year is 1888.

The setting, the gloomy, swamp-filled streets of London's East End. More specifically, the district of Whitechapel, an area prone to violence and crime against a backdrop of poverty. But suddenly, a series of

murders

terrify the public in a way never seen before. The culprit, a crazy man with no clear motive. The most famous serial killer in the world, Jack the Ripper. While most believe the Ripper took the lives of only five, now known as "The Canonical Five", others believe the Ripper took the lives of up to 11 women. The five canonical victims were prostitutes, as many women in the Whitechapel district had to turn to prostitution as a way to survive.

Morbid intrigue is not a recent development. At the time of the

murders

, literacy was increasing among the general population. The murders were covered in the newspapers and the public became morbidly fascinated by them. In the end, the public was so upset by the failed attempts to identify the killer that the police commissioner and the interior minister eventually resigned. - So was this one of the first cases of a kind of media frenzy around something like this? Because this sounds like O.J. or JonBenet. - I wonder if they had true crime shows back then? - I don't think they did, Ryan. - I could see them having little sock puppets like the ones from Game of Thrones. - Okay, I could see it.

Little puppets, yes. - Yes, little puppets. - I agree with that. -Also, as far as the police commissioner, I think this is the first time I've seen a police commissioner resign because he was very upset and that makes sense to me because, I've said it before, when there is a serial killer . loose, you're really playing cat and mouse with the killer and he just falls for it at every turn. - It's your entire livelihood. - That could drive you crazy. I feel like that would drive me crazy. Today we will cover the five canonical victims and by the end we will have examined the largest number of suspects we have ever presented with eight possible murderers.

Without further ado, let's jump to the timeline. On August 31, 1888 at 3:40 a.m. m., the body of Mary Ann Nichols was found on Buck's Row in Whitechapel. The body was discovered by a man named Charles Cross, who claims that he was walking along Buck's Row when he noticed a lump towards the western end. Another man named Robert Paul approached the body with Cross. The police would eventually arrive at the scene. Mary Ann Nichols was found face up, with her throat severely cut and disemboweled. It was determined that she had only been dead for about half an hour, meaning the killer was likely near her when Cross first saw the body. -Now, how come, at this point, I don't know what her forensic analysis is like, how do they know what half an hour is?

Do you like something like that... - I mean, he just comes over... Let's see. - There's half an hour of blood there. - Yes, it's 30 minutes. Maybe they had a bloodhound? I don't know. - That's not what bloodhounds do... - (laughing) I don't know. I know bloodhounds are used to track things, but I... - You don't give them blood if you don't... - You don't give bloodhounds blood bags? - You give a little blood to a bloodhound and it barks every minute. - And it says: "A positive. "Universal donor." - "Dead for five minutes." (laughter) - Right now we are at the scene of the first murder.

This is Mary Ann Nichols. She was found at the western end of Buck's Row , which is now Durward Street. You can see where it was, see that building over there with the white windows? We can't go there because there's city construction going on now - But just below that and a little bit towards us, it was found at the entrance. from one of the houses that lined this street before. I mean, it's a little strange to think that there is... I didn't know that this was the first of what would be the most infamous serial killer of all time (laughs).

On September 8, 1888, Annie Chapman's body was found at 29 Hanbury Street. She was discovered by a man named John Davis, an elderly resident of 29 Hanbury Street. Her throat was slit and this time violence. It escalated until the killer removed her uterus. This is the approximate location of the second murder. Annie Chapman was murdered at 29 Hanbury Street, but my sources have told me that that street was actually moved. 29 Hanbury is actually there, but roughly where it happened, back in the day, was around the entrance to the Truman Brewery, which is right there. - Imagine the chaos. - Dr George Baxter Phillips was serving as a divisional police surgeon at the time and proposed the idea that the killer had anatomical knowledge from the way Annie Chapman's uterus was removed.

That's the first clue, he's a doctor. Probably. - Probably. -Or he has basic anatomical knowledge. That same month, on September 27, 1888, the Central News Agency received a letter from the apparent murderer. It says: "Dear boss, "I keep hearing that the police have caught me "but they are not going to cure me yet." I've laughed when they seem so smart "and talk about being on the right path." That joke About Leather Apron gave me real fits. "I like whores and I won't stop destroying them" until they break me. "The last job was a great job. "I didn't give the lady time to scream. "How can they catch me now? "I love my job and I want to start over. "You'll soon hear about me with my fun little games. "I saved some of the right red stuff "in a ginger beer bottle at the last job" for writing, but they got thick like glue "and I can't use them." "The red ink is fit enough, I hope.

Ha. Ha. "Next job I do I'll cut off the lady's ears and send it to the police officer just for fun, right? "Save this letter until let him work a little harder," and then hand it over directly. "My knife is very nice and sharp. "I want to get to work right away if I get the chance. "Good luck." Sincerely, Jack the Ripper. "You don't mind giving me the business name. "It wasn't good enough to publish this" before he wiped all the red ink off my hands. "Damn. No luck yet. "They say I'm a doctor now. Ha ha." - Hoo, I mean...

What a job. - Yeah, I have to give it to him. - Jack the Ripper is a very catchy name. This guy had a knack for naming things. - He knows his brand. If this was happening today or if social media existed during this time... - Oh, this guy would be a Viner for sure. - He would have extensive hashtags on every post. - Instafood. It was not made public until October 1 and many believe it was invented by a journalist, but it made it to the newspapers anyway. Once in the public's eyes, the name stuck, and the killer was passed on from that moment on. to be known by the now famous nickname of Jack the Ripper.

Three days later, on September 30 at 1:00 a.m., a man named Louis Diemschutz found Elizabeth Stride's body on Berner Street. which led police to believe that the murder was interrupted when Diemschutz approached. Right now we are walking towards the site of the second murder, Elizabeth Stride. He found her a man around here. I think this is a schoolyard now. Well, a lot of people are really wondering if this was the Ripper or not because they slit his throat pretty hastily. None of the other little tricks he pulled. No gutting, none of that. Almost as if he had been stepped on and he had to run. - Yeah, just: "Oh, I have to kill this one quickly." - I can't fix everything here.

It was determined that she had been dead for 30 minutes when she was examined around 1:15 a.m. m. Shockingly, just 45 minutes after Elizabeth Stride's discovery, another body was found in Miter Square, just west of Stride's murder. A woman named Catherine Eddowes was the second victim that same night. Her body was severely mutilated, including her face. She had her uterus removed, as well as her left kidney. So just 45 minutes after Elizabeth Stride's murder, investigators stumbled upon the body of Catherine Eddowes here. - Right here? - In this general area. There used to be a flower bed here that, in a way, served as a memorial to her, but this was, like I said, 45 minutes after a murder had occurred about 10 or 15 minutes away.

Walking distance. The strange thing is that after killing Catherine Eddowes here, she returned to the address of the first murder. - This guy knows how to zag. -Either that or he simply knew the police routes. -I think he's just a zagger. - So the body is back there. Right now we're walking a little bit close to the path he would have taken, walking east away from the body and then we're about to reach a site where he dropped one of the only clues he really left for investigators. It is here that the police would discover one of the few solid clues in the entire case, a piece of Catherine Eddowes' apron found near the crime scene.

Alfred Long found the apron at the entrance to an apartment block near Goulston Street, a street close to the east of the scene of Eddowes' murder. Near this apron was a message written in chalk that read: "The Jews are the men who will not be blamed for anything." A sign of the anti-Semitism that was common in the area. However, the crucial detail about this clue is the fact that it was found east of the site of Eddowes' murder, in the direction of the site of Elizabeth Stride's murder, the murder that occurred only 45 minutes earlier. This puzzling decision could mean that the killer voluntarily entered an area packed with police.

As well as demonstrating the killer's evasive skills, this could suggest that the killer lived in this area of ​​East London, possibly explaining his motive for entering a dangerous situation. Later, the police department receives a postcard dated October 1 and written by someone who also claims to be the Ripper in similar handwriting. "I wasn't coding, dear boss, when I tipped you off. "Tomorrow you'll find out about Saucy Jacky's work. "Double event this time." The number one screamed a little, he couldn't finish immediately. "I did not have time to listen to the police. "Thank you for saving the last letter "until I returned to work. "Jack the Ripper".

This is not confirmed, but there is information that this postcard was received by the press agency, or whoever received it, the morning after the night of the double event. The strange thing is that no one in the public knew about this double event because it had not yet appeared in the newspapers to describe what happened in detail - Yes, because. They're not hanging around. - No, there's no way... - Two people were murdered tonight. - There's no Twitter. Yes, they're not playing a giant telephone game with dixie cups. and most likely, if the timing is true, it is Jack the Ripper.

On October 13, 1888, the police spent a week searching all the houses in the slums of East Densworth, but found nothing. October, a man named George Lusk received a letter. Lusk was the head of the Mile End Policing Committee, a group formed by local businessmen to assist the police. The letter was signed "from hell" and was delivered in a box with half a human kidney. At the time, the kidney was believed to be Catherine Eddowes' missing kidney. However, it was discovered to be a prank by a medical student. - Wait, so the letter "from hell" was from a medical student?

That's dissappointing. - I guess so. - Because I love "from hell." Just that as a farewell. - From hell. - This also shows the climate surrounding this. People weren't saying, "This is the worst thing that's ever happened on Earth." - They say, "Well, we can have fun with this." - "Wouldn't that be funny?" - It's like the Ice Bucket Challenge. (laughs) Let's get everyone involved in this. - Almost a month later, on November 9, 1888, the owner's assistant, who was looking for a rental, found the body of the fifth and final canonical victim, Mary Kelly,at 13 Millers Court in his bed.

This murder was by far the most gruesome, as his body was disemboweled and "practically skinned." This is the last victim. It's a little bit complicated because where there used to be an apartment building is now, as you can see, a parking lot or parking lot, so we can't know where it was exactly, but we know it was near the church. We know it was near the Ten Bells pub. We could actually be in Jack's own place of residence. Here is the owner about the state of the body. "The vision we saw I cannot get out of my mind. "It seemed more the work of a devil than of a man." And with this we come to the end of the five canonical victims, but as said before, some I think there could be even 11 victims with Jack the Ripper's reign of terror, one should wonder if anyone glimpsed this monster, and it seems that people did.

When adding the testimonies of those who believed they had seen the Ripper, an approximate silhouette of the Ripper can be visualized. murderer. He can be assumed to be between 25 and 35 years old, approximately 5'5 to 5'7, stocky, light-skinned and reportedly had a dark coat and a dark hat, the Violent Crimes Command team. Scotland Yard has said that Jack the Ripper, who could be called evil incarnate, could be described on the surface as "perfectly sane, terrifyingly normal" and yet capable of extraordinary cruelty," Sir Melville MacNaughten, head of the department. of Scotland Yard's criminal investigation in 1903, he had a widespread suspicion about who the murderer was.

He knew that the Ripper had a basic knowledge of anatomy, possibly a doctor, and in McNaughten's notes he had narrowed his list of suspects down to three names. That being said, due to the overwhelming number of compelling suspects and the fact that many feel the three officers are not the Ripper, we are going to look at eight names, starting with McNaughten's three official suspects. The first suspect was Montague Johnson Druitt. Druitt was a lawyer who may have had an uncle and cousin who were doctors. At the time of his death, Druitt may have been in his 40s and reportedly had an interest in surgery.

Montague possibly lived with his cousin who practiced medicine near where the Whitechapel murderers occurred. It also seems that about a month before the first canonical murder, Montague's mother went crazy and Montague had written in a note that she feared he was going crazy too. In his notes, McNaughten adds: "From private information, 'I have no doubt that this man was suspected by his own family' of being the Whitechapel murderer; 'he was alleged to be sexually insane.'" After the final murder, Montague He disappeared, only to be found dead four weeks after the last murder. His body was found floating in the River Thames on December 3, 1888. - I have a feeling this is only the first suspect, but I have a hunch for everyone. the ones we're looking for.

They will have 10 things that will make them look like they were definitely Jack the Ripper because London at the time seemed to be full of crazy psychopaths. The second suspect was Michael Ostrog, a Russian doctor and Ostrog, formerly in an asylum. homicidal tendencies, notes that Ostrog was unable to provide a solid alibi for his whereabouts during the murders. In the end, he was not convicted because there was not enough evidence linking him to the crime. Does trend work? Are you just going to kill someone? - Yes, I don't know if they are trends. Either you kill someone or you don't.

I can't imagine there's half a measure in there. -"He just killed a babysitter." - Yes, (wheezes) yes. -It was curious when he was 15 years old. - The third suspect was Aaron Kosminski, a Polish and Jewish resident of Whitechapel, who spent some time in an asylum in 1889 after the last murder. In fact, Kosminski would reside in asylums until his death in 1919. Kosminski was known for his hatred of women, particularly prostitutes. According to McNaughten, his appearance matched descriptions provided by police of a man in Miter Square, which, if you remember, was the night of the double murder, where the Ripper probably weaved through the police.

Kosminski might be a familiar name to the public due to the fact that his name recently made headlines due to his appearance in a book titled "Naming Jack the Ripper." In this book, Russell Edwards claims that a shawl purchased at auction contains DNA evidence proving Kosminski is the killer. The shawl was purchased under the impression that Catherine Eddowes, the Ripper's fourth victim, was reportedly at the crime scene. Edwards was helped by molecular biologist Jari Louhelainen from Liverpool John Moores University. Edwards and Louhelainen believed that the bloodstained shawl was related to Catherine Eddowes, based on a comparison with one of Eddowes' descendants.

They also claim that the semen on the handkerchief is related to relatives of Kosminski. With this discovery, many felt the case was closed, including Edwards. And if it were true, that would be the irrefutable proof, right? - You have semen, you have blood. -Is it time to drag his name into the mud? - Oh, I like that! You have the semen, you have the blood, you drag his name through that mud. - There you go. Not bad. Not bad, but let's find out why we can't do it. "I have the only forensic evidence" in the entire history of the case. "I've spent 14 years working on it," and we've definitely solved the mystery "of who Jack the Ripper was." "Only non-believers" who want to perpetuate the myth will doubt. "This is it now, we have him unmasked." -So he is confident. -He is very confident. -But he has also spent a lot of money and time on this. -I can understand why he is confident.

He thought he had it all along, then he goes to a molecular biologist, that guy analyzes it and says, “Yes!” He would gloat like an idiot. Can you imagine that? You just solved one of the biggest mysteries of all time because you got the confirmation you wanted to hear. But, much to Mr Edwards' chagrin, that may not be the case. It turns out that the scientist may have made a critical nomenclature error. In short, Dr. Louhelainen identified a DNA mutation in both the scarf and Eddowes. ' relative named Karen Miller This mutation was believed to be called 314.1C, a mutation that is only found in 1 in 290,000 people, so it is very likely that it is a match.

However, this identification was reported to be incorrect and was not 314.1C, but 315.1C, which is a mutation shared by over 99% of people of European ancestry. Basically, this DNA could be anyone if it were true. -Then it went from "he's that guy!" to "he is one of those millions of people." - Basically, it was like, "Oh! "The blood on the scarf and the Eddowes descendant "had this very, very rare mutation." "Oh, wait, I named the mutation wrong. It's actually this other one, which--" - Wasn't he wrong? - Exactly. She pressed the wrong key and suddenly 99% of Europeans have this mutation.

Additionally, Kosminski's DNA was linked to the scarf via mitochondrial DNA, using a subtype that is far from unique. Sir Alec Jeffreys, considered the godfather of DNA fingerprinting, has said that this evidence "must be peer-reviewed". Louhelainen has yet to publish this finding in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and has refused to answer questions to the media, making it impossible to verify his and Edwards' claims and, in practice, doing just the opposite: How did Edwards react? This? - Can you imagine receiving the call? Like this doctor has to pick up the phone and say, “Oh, fuck.” - Hello. - Remember that that scarf I told you was a... - Why, yes.

Piece of evidence in the world - Yes, about that. I think my pinky might have reached five when I was trying to reach four and it turns out that it's useless and doesn't prove anything, so all that slap you gave. Speaking in the press makes you look like a big fool. I have wasted my life. - The fourth suspect is the idea that Jack the Ripper was actually a woman. A theory that rippers call Jill the Ripper. This theory was also supposedly a hunch of the famous Inspector Abberline. The idea that all the police were looking for a man when they should have been looking for a woman would explain why the Ripper could go unnoticed. ?????

He pointed out that a midwife would have sufficient anatomical knowledge and that the blood on her clothing would not have attracted attention. However, it should be noted that all eyewitness accounts point to a man. I love this theory. I think it makes sense that a woman can slip into a crowd so that all these stupid cops, not stupid cops but police officers, can't notice because they're looking for a man with a mustache. A far cry from a midwife covered in blood. -Feels a little too Joss Whedon for me. - What if Jack the Ripper was a lady? - The fifth suspect is Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward, also known as "The Royal Conspiracy." - You know how they say you never trust someone with two names?

This guy has four. - So either it doubles that distrust or it nullifies it. Four names, fuck with me. That's what he said. - I'm going to duplicate it. - I'm going to cancel it. - This theory is often mocked, but it is still perpetuated due to its widespread popularity. Prince Edward was known to frequent the areas where the victims were found, an activity that led to him contracting syphilis, which some believe drove him to insanity. Some posit that this also resulted in Albert having a child with a local woman and Queen Victoria demanding that everyone who knew the child be cared for.

Some believe that the madness generated by syphilis led him to commit the murders himself. Conspiracy theorists believe he was never discovered because royal aids helped cover up his identity. However, as mentioned above, this theory is considered ridiculous as there is no substantial evidence to indicate its credibility. Looking into this, it's pretty clear that the movements of a prince, let alone, or anyone the Queen would hire, could be tracked, but I also think they could be covered up. I don't know. I don't think it's that solid of a theory, but it's interesting. - I feel like you have so many things at your disposal.

If you're a queen you probably have guards. I don't know. You would get away with a lot of things. Just get people off the street. - The sixth suspect is the famous painter Walter Sickert, a theory put forward mainly by the successful crime novelist Patricia Cornwell. After making millions from her crime novels, Cornwell has dedicated her time to finding Sickert as the Ripper. In 2001, Cornwell spent £2 million buying 32 paintings, letters and even Sickert's desk in a bizarre stunt that was described by art curator Richard Shone as "monstrous stupidity". Cornwell became National Treasure Nicholas Cage by cutting up a painting in search of clues.

Stunts aside, Cornwell rightly claims that Sickert was obsessed with the Ripper, which was true. Sickert referenced the Ripper in some of his paintings, even titling one of them "Jack the Ripper's Bedroom." Cornwell claims that a painting reflects the position of the body of the Ripper's fifth victim, Mary Kelly. She claims that another painting imitates the facial wounds of the Ripper's fourth victim, Catherin Eddowes. There are also reportedly accounts of Sickert dressing up as Jack the Ripper. You realize this is before cosplay existed. I don't even know if Halloween was that big of a deal. - Are you kidding?

They had like Carnivale. They had Venetian masks. They got a lot of strange things back. - Don't you think it's strange that a grown man dresses up as Jack the Ripper for fun? No vacation. -This feels like when people shame furries. Let them live their life. If you want to dress like a pony... - Okay, this is the furthest thing from furry. A furry simply dresses up as a furry creature because there is something sexual about him. - Why are they so muscular all the time? - I do not care about that. Dressing up as a furry animal is a far cry from dressing up as a serial killer. - It's fucking weird. - It's like a horse with pectorals, right? - I think you're getting lost in the furry culture. - It's strange. - You just said that people were embarrassing them. - I'm not ashamed, I just don't understand it. -Cornwell also rejects the idea that Sickert's alibi was that he was in France when the murders began.

He cites sketches that place him in London, in concert halls, at the time of at least three murders. By the way, anyone could draw anyone. That means if I did a sketch of you murdering someone in the past, I could show up at the police station and say, here it is. Here is evidence that Shane Madej, in cold blood, killed this woman in furry clothing. - But I feel like you would do that. - And they told me: "You're right." We've been getting a lot of reports "that Shane Madej is actually a furry." - Put the handcuffs on those helmets. (laughs) -However, the most important piece of his case is theanalysis by forensic document expert Peter Bower.

Bower identified three of the Sickert letters and two of the Ripper letters as coming from a hand-made paper run of only 24 possible sheets. Basically, the chances that both the Ripper and Sickert wrote letters on a batch of paper that only had 24 copies are relatively slim, and while that is certainly compelling evidence, it should be remembered that all of Jack the Ripper's letters are unconfirmed. . I think he probably didn't do it, but he's actually a weirdo. - Yes, he's a weirdo, but I don't think we should put him in jail for that. -The seventh suspect is Joseph Barnett, who is particularly suspicious since he actually lived with Mary Kelly, the Ripper's last victim.

In fact, Barnett may have lived in 10 different places in East London, allowing him to know the area well and be able to navigate back streets. Barnett worked as a fish porter and it is believed that he was in love with Kelly. According to an issue of the Daily Telegraph, on November 10, 1888, Barnett referred to Mary Kelly as his "wife", when in reality she was just a roommate. Barnett also did not agree with Mary's life as a prostitute and worked hard to earn money to keep her off the streets. "Marie never went outside when she lived with me." Some theorize that Barnett committed the first murders to scare Kelly off the streets, which, for a time, actually worked.

But when Barnett lost his job, Kelly returned to the streets to make ends meet. Her financial struggles often led to fights and Barnett also disliked Kelly's love of gin. This culminated in a final fight over Kelly bringing home two different prostitutes, an act Joseph found unacceptable. This fight apparently turned violent. Even a window was broken. Shortly after, Barnett moved out and just 10 days later, Mary Kelly was found dead in his apartment. After the murder, Barnett was questioned for four hours, but was eventually released. Having lived there, Barnett would have intimate knowledge of the house, including how to open the door from the outside.

He was also aware of Kelly's schedule and tendencies. Details of the scene suggest that Kelly was murdered while she slept, not by a stranger she invited in. Her clothes were folded next to the bed "as if they had been taken off in the usual way" and she was wearing a nightgown. As a fish porter, Barnett would have basic anatomical knowledge. -Do they say that he had anatomical knowledge because he was a fish carrier? -As a known associate of Kelly's, he would be someone the local prostitutes knew, allowing him to get close enough for a sneak attack.

A newspaper of the time reportedly claimed that Barnett's friends called him Jack. It also matches the physical description and psychological profile created of Jack the Ripper by the FBI, and eventually the murders supposedly stopped after Mary Kelly, the last canonical victim. After her death, Barnett would have no other reason to kill now that his lover, who he was trying to keep off the streets, was now dead. - I like it. - Pretty good, right? I mean, for me too, most of them, frankly, are very circumstantial. This, to me, although it is also circumstantial, seems the closest to the real evidence in that he lived with her, they fought ten days before her death, he was not a fan of prostitution, he tried to keep her away from streets.

You could imagine him killing people to try to scare her so she wouldn't do that, right? - The reason here is undoubtedly the most convincing. - Safely. - Of all the suspects. - And even the access is most convincing. This is the only one where I felt there was a very clear link between the possible killer and the victim. The eighth and final suspect is the most popular suspect on casebook.org, a site dedicated to Jack the Ripper and a place for Rippers to work together to solve the case. The latest suspect is James Maybrick. Maybrick's death coincided with the end of the Ripper murders, as he died a year after the murders.

Maybrick was an upper-class cotton merchant who resided on an estate called "Battlecrease House" in Liverpool. Some would consider this a damning detail, as many feel that the Ripper was a local man who was probably not upper class. However, it should be noted that all the murders were committed on a weekend. It is logical that a rich cotton merchant would have the possibility of traveling on weekends and it is also worth mentioning that he would have the advantage of not killing in his own place. However, what makes Maybrick such a popular suspect is what many consider to be the most important physical evidence linking him to the crimes.

That evidence is a diary supposedly discovered beneath the floor of Maybrick's property. A diary that is signed: "I give my name so that everyone knows about me", so that the story tells what love can do to a born gentleman. "Sincerely, Jack the Ripper." Intimate details of the murders are also reportedly found in the diary. Supporting the diary's authenticity is scientific evidence that has confirmed that the diary appears to roughly coincide with the era of the Ripper murders. Apparently the diary was discovered by a scrap metal dealer named Mike Barrett and this is where the story begins to lose substance.

In fact, Barrett admitted that he made up the diary only to retract the statement later, attributing it to him not wanting publicity since he was going through a failed marriage. The definitive details of the diary's discovery are also uncertain. Some sources say that it fell into Barrett's hands having been passed down from generation to generation. While other sources say that Barrett discovered it himself or that his associates discovered it and then gave it to him because they knew Barrett was an aspiring author. However, all that aside, if the diary was found under the floor of the Maybrick estate, it's entirely possible that it was actually Jack the Ripper.

Following this discovery, a gold pocket watch was reported as possible evidence of the Ripper. The watch apparently contains the scratched initials of the five canonical victims, as well as the phrase "I am Jack" and also "J. Maybrick." The scratches were analyzed using an electron microscope by Dr. Stephen Turgoose, whose studies suggest that the scratches were not made in modern times. Another doctor called Robert Wild, from the Center for Interface Analysis at the University of Bristol, concluded that the scratches "could have been very, very old and were certainly not new", but it is difficult to be precise.

The watch, which was displayed in a Liverpool jewelery shop by a university caretaker called Elbert Johnson, is dated 1846 and was bought for £225, but given the circus around the main evidence and the remote Maybrick location of the crimes, it's understandable that you have doubts about him as the Ripper. I don't know, I liked the other guy better. -Barnett? Yes, I think I would like it too. Just looking at the circumstances, it seems like he would be the most likely. A dull, boring guy who says, "Oh, I guess I'll go into town this weekend" and murder some people. -He treats it as if he played 18 holes, right?

Yes, I could see that. - "And come back for some pumpkin." - I think these are the two strongest. - Yeah. - And if I had to bet money, I'd probably say Barnett too. - Alright. - You don't seem as convinced as I thought you would be. I thought this was really cool. A diary hidden under the floor. A clock. - I know you don't like hearing this. This is my approach to a lot of these real, old crimes and kind of a JFK approach. - Oh no, I know what you're going to do here. No, please don't say it. - Let it be a mystery. - Oh God... - We'll never know.

We will simply never know. - You would be a very, very bad judge. - Because? - Let it be a mystery (table banging). (laughs) The meeting is adjourned. For more than 100 years, the mystery of Jack the Ripper has continued to fascinate, confuse and enrage the public. Maybe one day we will have the means to solve the crime. Or perhaps this famous case is another victim of time. But for now, the old question will continue to linger. Who was Jack the Ripper? The case remains unresolved. - Saucy Jack, really spicy. Cheeky boy. - Some kind of idiot. - Well, I mean, you could say the same about most murderers, right? - Yes, they are all idiots. - Did you ever think that was someone's last word to a murderer? - "You're an Idiot".

Oblique slash. (laughs) - Okay. (weak and perplexed music)